well, when you get new channels, are you supposed to just have them appear? don't you have to repeat setup? Or do you even have to go further and have Cox rehit the cablecards? I'm going thru guided setup again to see if they'll show up because they didn't even show up in the guide (but for example, NFL Network does show in the guide, it just says it's not available when i select it)

eta: well, finished guided setup, now the channels show up on the listing, but just as w/ NFLN, give me the channel not available when selected.

As a Cox-Fairfax, VA "customer", I just confirmed that all of these new stations are apparently SDV and (like the NFL-HD offering added earlier) are the subject of announced addition of channels (in a TiVo message) but reported as "Channel not available" on the TiVo HD and S3.

Before getting back in the mood for arguing again with Cox that this was an action by them that made me worthy of receiving a credit (as I am now forced to accept less service until or unless I pay the surcharge for an extra box or substandard DVR and abandon TiVo), I searched for news on the dongle.

As a Cox-Fairfax, VA "customer", I just confirmed that all of these new stations are apparently SDV and (like the NFL-HD offering added earlier) are the subject of announced addition of channels (in a TiVo message) but reported as "Channel not available" on the TiVo HD and S3.

Click to expand...

The fact that it says "Channel not available" is not enough proof that it is under SDV - Cox just may be intentionally leaving it out of channel map to reserve it for SDV. In Cox Orange County market (where SDV is slated to be deployed in a few months) several new HD channel additions behave the same way - I have guide listings but tuning says "Channel not available". The reason is CableCard channel map doesn't contain the new channels so Tivo doesn't know what frequency to tune when you select the channel.

The fact that it says "Channel not available" is not enough proof that it is under SDV - Cox just may be intentionally leaving it out of channel map to reserve it for SDV. In Cox Orange County market (where SDV is slated to be deployed in a few months) several new HD channel additions behave the same way - I have guide listings but tuning says "Channel not available". The reason is CableCard channel map doesn't contain the new channels so Tivo doesn't know what frequency to tune when you select the channel.

Click to expand...

I have both a Tivo Series 3 and a Sony DHG-500 HD DVR + a Sony TV, all with cablecards and the new HD channels do not tune in. However on my other TV with a Cox STB attached to it, they tune in fine. Thus, proof enough that they are indeed on SDV, just as Cox said future HD programming would be.

Before getting back in the mood for arguing again with Cox that this was an action by them that made me worthy of receiving a credit (as I am now forced to accept less service until or unless I pay the surcharge for an extra box or substandard DVR and abandon TiVo), I searched for news on the dongle.

Click to expand...

if you are successful at getting a credit, i'd love to hear what you tell them to get it. Because as far as i know, since they don't charge extra for HD, there's nothing to credit you. we're getting the digital channels we're paying for, but not the HD versions.

then again, i dont know the details of FCC legislation that required cablecard compliance, if there's a provision for being able to access everything "or else"...

I have both a Tivo Series 3 and a Sony DHG-500 HD DVR + a Sony TV, all with cablecards and the new HD channels do not tune in. However on my other TV with a Cox STB attached to it, they tune in fine. Thus, proof enough that they are indeed on SDV, just as Cox said future HD programming would be.

Click to expand...

No, that's still not sufficient proof. CableCard devices get different channel maps than the digital set top box devices. As I mentioned in my market SDV has NOT been implemented yet however CableCard devices can't tune new HD channels while the set top boxes can. The reason is they are getting different channel maps. Note that I'm not saying that these channels are not under SDV in your market - they very well may be, just that the fact that you can't tune them with your CableCard devices is not sufficient proof of it.
Another interesting tidbit on this. In my market the Motorola DCH boxes are being deployed - those are the ones complying with removable security and containing an M-card in the back. Note that those set top boxes are programmed to receive same channel maps as the DCT set top boxes even though they are a CableCard enabled device. The good news about that is that if/when the tuning resolver becomes available hopefully customers with Tivos and the tuning resolver can be provisioned to have the same channel mappings as these.

No, that's still not sufficient proof. CableCard devices get different channel maps than the digital set top box devices. As I mentioned in my market SDV has NOT been implemented yet however CableCard devices can't tune new HD channels while the set top boxes can. The reason is they are getting different channel maps. Note that I'm not saying that these channels are not under SDV in your market - they very well may be, just that the fact that you can't tune them with your CableCard devices is not sufficient proof of it.
Another interesting tidbit on this. In my market the Motorola DCH boxes are being deployed - those are the ones complying with removable security and containing an M-card in the back. Note that those set top boxes are programmed to receive same channel maps as the DCT set top boxes even though they are a CableCard enabled device. The good news about that is that if/when the tuning resolver becomes available hopefully customers with Tivos and the tuning resolver can be provisioned to have the same channel mappings as these.

Click to expand...

If you do not have SDV implemented the tuner resolver isn't going to help anything. The fact that they use a different channel map is a policy decision, not a technical decision. Usually they do this just prior to SDV switch over so cc users don't get used to something they're about to lose. I would complain bitterly to your cable provider, your franchise authority and the FCC.

If you do not have SDV implemented the tuner resolver isn't going to help anything. The fact that they use a different channel map is a policy decision, not a technical decision. Usually they do this just prior to SDV switch over so cc users don't get used to something they're about to lose. I would complain bitterly to your cable provider, your franchise authority and the FCC.

Click to expand...

I won't complain since I think the policy actually makes sense. Why enable channels for customers only to yank them away in a few months when SDV is deployed? So I can understand why they took this stance, especially as the policy also means that any channels that I can currently tune won't be taken away from me (at least that's what I'm being told).

No, that's still not sufficient proof. CableCard devices get different channel maps than the digital set top box devices. As I mentioned in my market SDV has NOT been implemented yet however CableCard devices can't tune new HD channels while the set top boxes can. The reason is they are getting different channel maps. Note that I'm not saying that these channels are not under SDV in your market - they very well may be, just that the fact that you can't tune them with your CableCard devices is not sufficient proof of it.
Another interesting tidbit on this. In my market the Motorola DCH boxes are being deployed - those are the ones complying with removable security and containing an M-card in the back. Note that those set top boxes are programmed to receive same channel maps as the DCT set top boxes even though they are a CableCard enabled device. The good news about that is that if/when the tuning resolver becomes available hopefully customers with Tivos and the tuning resolver can be provisioned to have the same channel mappings as these.

Click to expand...

Gotcha you. I understand what you are saying. I should have said and made it clear that I was speaking with certainty in our area. The channel maps in our area have always been the same whether you had their STB or cablecards.

I understand the part about not receiving the HD channels, but about 3 weeks ago I lost all channels that weren't basic. I am on the promo now where I get about every channel, but none of the HBO's, Showtime, or even the other tiers work. Of course Cox has no idea, and the tech they sent out looked at the cablecards as if they were aliens...eventhough he said he had down tivo installs before.

I think I might give in and rent the box till the dongle comes out...waiting for fios to come to my part of fairfax....

I understand the bit about not getting the channels that Cox has added because they are SDV, but now all my HD channels, except for the network ones, have disappeared. Since its the encrypted HD channels that are gone, I'm hoping its just an encryption problem, but you never know with Cox. I'm in Fairfax. Anyone have any ideas on this?

About a week and half ago Cox launched some new HD channels in Fairfax , VA, like Food TV, HGTV in HD, but the tivo couldnt' get them because they were SDV. I went away for a week so I can't be sure the day it started, but now I get 0 HD channels except for the clearQAM HD Locals. Not national geographic, not UHD, nothing. What he heck. :-( I'd say poor TiVO but damn, its poor ME, I'm the customer who's paying money for this junk that doesn't work.

Are you guys serious? All non-local HD channels went SDV? That flies in the face of what Cox is telling me here locally in Orange County, CA. From what I was told only newest HD channels additions plus any others here on out will be SDV but not existing ones I currently receive. I hope this is a mistake by Cox...

I understand the bit about not getting the channels that Cox has added because they are SDV, but now all my HD channels, except for the network ones, have disappeared. Since its the encrypted HD channels that are gone, I'm hoping its just an encryption problem, but you never know with Cox. I'm in Fairfax. Anyone have any ideas on this?

About a week and half ago Cox launched some new HD channels in Fairfax , VA, like Food TV, HGTV in HD, but the tivo couldnt' get them because they were SDV. I went away for a week so I can't be sure the day it started, but now I get 0 HD channels except for the clearQAM HD Locals. Not national geographic, not UHD, nothing. What he heck. :-( I'd say poor TiVO but damn, its poor ME, I'm the customer who's paying money for this junk that doesn't work.

Are you guys serious? All non-local HD channels went SDV? That flies in the face of what Cox is telling me here locally in Orange County, CA. From what I was told only newest HD channels additions plus any others here on out will be SDV but not existing ones I currently receive. I hope this is a mistake by Cox...

Click to expand...

You are correct. All non-local HD channels did NOT go SDV. What Cox told you will be the case in your area is what we in Fairfax have now in our area. I don't know the specific reason why the previous two posters in Fairfax have experienced what they are experiencing or why they have lost their exisiting HD channels but I have two different HD dvrs with cablecards and a TV with a cablecard, and the only HD channels I can't get are those that have been put on SDV , the new ones that were recently added. All of the previous non-local HD channels - Discovery HD, Universal HD, A&E HD, NGC HD, MOJO, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, CW HD, TNT HD, PBS HD, and others still tune in without any problems on my equipment.

You are correct. All non-local HD channels did NOT go SDV. What Cox told you will be the case in your area is what we in Fairfax have now in our area. I don't know the specific reason why the previous two posters in Fairfax have experienced what they are experiencing or why they have lost their exisiting HD channels but I have two different HD dvrs with cablecards and a TV with a cablecard, and the only HD channels I can't get are those that have been put on SDV , the new ones that were recently added. All of the previous non-local HD channels - Discovery HD, Universal HD, A&E HD, NGC HD, MOJO, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, CW HD, TNT HD, PBS HD, and others still tune in without any problems on my equipment.

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting and the re-assurance. Sometimes it's hard to know what to believe.

Well I stand corrected, I had already rebooted, but I did so again based on sooka's response and now I get the HD channels I got before. The failure behavior before was exactly the same as the SDV channels "Channel unavailable" . Ths Tivo HD periodically requires a reboot to get channels back (like once a week) :-(

I have a question. I am in Fairfax and FIOS just arrived for me. Based on the number of trucks I am seeing and the length of time they are at various homes I am going to give it a month or two for the infrastructure to shake out before I decide to switch to it from COX.. My question is this.. I read that within 3 years FIOS was going to an IP based solution. see this article If that is true, it would seem that switching to FIOS buys you about 3 years till more issues arise. I am wondering if it makes sense to sit with COX and see how the dongle works out. That sounds like the better long term solution from a content perspective. I do know that FIOS is a better picture but is it that much better?

I'm on the side that the article you mentioned is more marketing than anything else. That article provides a lot of FUD for just this type of conversation to occur. This is a big technology change with lots of infrastructure changes needed. For a technology that is announced 3 years out, I think it is much more rare than hitting the lottery to make that date on time. Purely my guess, but I would expect that to be years later for a full turnover to IP. So, worst case, after 4-5 years of enjoying FIOS you pick up the phone and tell COX to switch you back. The only change would be connecting their box to the coax on the outside wall. Not a lot of risk here.